Innocent Shield
by xAzureriftx
Summary: When a boy hoping to find refuge from his past tries to start a new life in Sword Art Online, will he really be able to let go of the chains that bind when the game becomes more real than he'd ever dreamed? Especially when the key to his survival may rest in embracing that which he was trying to escape, or will someone give him the hope he prayed for and help him find his way?
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_**

**_~Legal Terms and License Agreements~_**

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…jeez, I swear this legal mumbo jumbo takes longer and longer to get past the newer these things are! I mean seriously, how much more could they possibly think to sue people for?"

Confirmation screen after confirmation screen was closed upon acceptance to be replaced by another quickly thereafter in front of the black haired boy, Haseo. He wore basic starting gear and was really nothing special to look at. Standing in at five foot five inches and weighing in at just under one fifty with no extraordinary features or identifying marks like piercings, tattoos, or scars he was just another face soon to be lost in the crowd of Sword Art Online, or at least he hoped so. He had purposefully created an extremely ordinary looking avatar, he had been intrigued by the games promise of a new reality, and it appealed to him greatly in that sense. He had picked it up originally to that end alone, to be able to be judged for whom he was and not how he looked. He was tired of the nervous glances he got at school, the whisperings of the adults around him, always, constantly judging him. Hah! As if they had any right to judge him, nobody knew him…not anymore, at least, he thought solemnly while accepting legal term after legal term.

Around him swam a sea of blue polygons which occasionally sparked into white and then disappeared into the expanse of nothingness that surrounded him. His avatar floating in the middle of this expanse as he accepted the conditions for playing brought to bear by Argus and Kayaba Akihiko, the infamous creator of the Nerve Gear and of Sword Art Online. After the tedious process of the character create screen, which had options numbering in the hundreds for character customization, he'd thought he was finally going to see what a full dive was like but it appeared that it was just not to be…or rather, he didn't count something like this as worthy of being considered part of the full dive even though it was hit avatar and not himself that was selecting the touch options floating in the middle of the digital equivalent to a space/time anomaly.

"Finally!"

A few seconds had passed without any further pop-ups harassing Haseo and to his dismay there was no clock display in the current…world? Zone? Area? He wasn't sure what to call the place he currently inhabited but he knew he was already getting tired of the scene that stretched out before him and could have sworn he just spent at least an hour trying to get into the game and was beginning to wonder if the end would ever come, exaggerated as he knew his sense of time must have been.

"Gotta' say Mr. Akihiko…so far I'm not impressed. Ah! No, no, no! C'mon man, I was just kidding!"

To Haseo's dismay another screen was coming to life in front of him. In almost a reverse-dissolve fashion a single banner formed in front of him with characters he had to focus on slightly to read. He'd always done well in his English courses so to see them paying off in the game he made a mental note to never give that particular teacher a hard time about the practicality of said class.

"Welcome…to Sword Art Online. Well now, it's about time. So what now Mr. Akihi…whoa."

The virtual nothingness began to swirl around Haseo in a maelstrom of blue polygons as the white horizon line began to take shape. Vast hills and plains of the most exuberant green roamed the outskirts of dusty paths and trails. Trees and bushes sprang into existence in an almost rapid growth cycle, like videotaping a landscape for years then fast forwarding it in seconds. Buildings began to rise and obscure his view of the wilderness but to say that the scene unfolding before him wasn't itself a view would be a hard pressed matter to sell for anyone. Cracks and crevices appeared in the stone under his feet with weeds poking through only occasionally. Glossy wooden buildings finished the layout of his immediate area and soon he was overcome with a dozen different smells at once. The smell of the wooden structures as if they were freshly cut and stacked firewood logs. The upturned dust from the ground gave a rough almost industrial smell to the area, as if a construction zone had been abandoned in the middle of a park, then there was the faint tingle of the forested area that lay in wait in the distance, of hay and flowers, and rain as if the morning dew would still linger this late into the afternoon in a perfect world. Then his senses were assaulted by the mouth watering smell of fresh meat being cooked somewhere nearby, reminding him only of how hungry he must be as he skipped eating to make the launch time exactly after he'd gotten home from school. Absorbing everything coming into being around him he couldn't help but feel small, insignificant…like he was truly nobody and not worth a second look compared to the majesty surrounding him…and he loved it. To say he was surprised and awe-inspired would the understatement of the century, here he could have hope.

"Alright Kayaba Akihiko, NOW I'm impressed! Wah!"

The landscape around Haseo had solidified and sounds now accompanied the sights and smells surrounding him as the hustle of NPC's and other PC's carried on around him. Feeling too, Haseo noted, was included in the package deal as he promptly fell backwards onto the hard stone walkway he'd spawned above as the gravity kicked in to cut off his amazement rather abruptly.

"You just always have to get the last word in don't you?! Still though…this is…"

Looking around once more while rubbing a rather sore tailbone he still couldn't help but be amazed even from where he sat and observed how lifelike the game really was. Aside from the cursers displayed above the NPC's if you focused on them it was almost impossible to tell the difference between them and the other players. Well, that and the wide grin and open-eyed awe plastered on some of the players faces. Taking a moment to realize he was still sitting on the ground with much the same look on his face Haseo began to pick himself up and dust off his pants before getting his bearings. Looking around he could see the Tower of Aincrad in the distance, looming high over the Town of Beginnings and stretching it's way almost majestically into the cloud cover above.

"A hundred floors huh?"

"Yup, at least that's what they say."

Startled almost to the point of trying to draw a weapon he had really no idea how to draw quite yet Haseo shifted quickly to the side away from the direction of the voice, gracefully tripping over his own feet and falling again, a small cloud of dust shooting up from underneath him.

"Oh! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to…here."

Glancing up form his lowered perspective he noticed the hand stretched out before him, no doubt a peace offering resulting from the surprise attack that had been launched against him. It seemed it just wasn't quite his day today. Following the hand up along a somewhat thing and pale arm he was confronted with eyes framed by chestnut hair that hung loose and straight past the shoulders, with bangs that partially covered one luminescent blue eye and left the other staring strikingly into his own. Fair unblemished olive skin provided the canvas for the smile directed at him. The smile wasn't necessarily extraordinary as far as that sort of thing went but it was pure, a smile that was there not out of habit or to appear polite, not out of nicety or to avoid trouble, it was…the first real smile he'd seen in a long time, that was 'directed' at him, rather, in a long time and it brought back memories quite unwillingly. The red blush coming to her cheeks as she glanced away slightly snapped Haseo back to reality, taking the proffered hand he cursed himself silently for staring so obviously and making a fool of himself. What was the point of having a clean slate and a fresh start in this new reality if he held onto all of his old fears and prejudices?

He hefted himself off of the ground once more, this time with the help of another and dusted himself off quite thoroughly. More thoroughly than was really necessary, as he tried unsuccessfully to psyche himself out for the human interaction he was so unprepared for. A soft giggle to his side told him that he was still making a rather large fool out of himself and he immediately straightened up and turned to see the hand he had taken hold of, just now realizing how soft and warm it was, pressed against the smile that had struck him to his core. He realized how strange he must seem and decided then and there that he wouldn't botch this chance, his first chance to start over. The person before him didn't know him, who he was…what he'd done. This would be his saving grace, his exodus of a sort. Assuming a more relaxed posture he put his hands behind his head and began forming an appropriate response to the apology, he'd read enough about this kind of situation in manga, how hard could it be?

"It's my fault, I tripped over myself after all so don't worry about it, um, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name. I'm Haseo, by the way."

Haseo offered the warmest smile he could muster and thought to himself that he'd handled the situation rather well, despite…well; it was her fault for smiling at him like that all of a sudden he thought with a mental pout.

"Alice! And I still feel bad; after all, it was since I'd startled you. I'd like to make it up to you somehow but I'd just started too so I don't know if I could…"

The smile faded slightly as Alice glanced down feeling legitimately bad for what had happened. Something Haseo wasn't used to, he was bad enough at anything besides basic human interaction, he really had no idea how to console someone! Putting his hands in front of him disarmingly and stepping towards her slightly he put on a smile and decided it was worth a shot at least. What was the worst that could happen?

"Hey, really, it's fine Alice. No harm, no foul right? But if you want to make it up to me do you think you could, um…maybe, if you wouldn't mind…possibly, I mean if it's not too much trouble…"

Alice looked up to see a blush creeping into the boys cheeks as he glanced away from her and stumbled over his words.

"Could I, what? Why are you so embarrassed Haseo, what could possibly be that embarrassing of a favor to ask?"

Sudden realization hit Alice, and conclusions were jumped to. Feeling her face turn red she knew she was blushing but it was important to assert herself, that's what her teachers had said right?

"Just so you know, I'm not that kind of girl and just because your kind of cute doesn't meant that I…I mean, I just met you after all! I know I said I wanted to make it up to you but I didn't think you were that kind of person, I don't even know if you can do that kind of stuff here and I'm really not ready for a relationship, I feel like I should get to know you more and this is all moving so fast and that's even if I want to get to know you more now because that was really rude and really forward and, and, and…"

Haseo was immediately taken aback by the words he heard stumbling out of her mouth as he watched Alice fidge in place looking first curious and then slowly angrier as she worked herself up drawing the worst possible conclusion from what Haseo had struggled to get out thus far. He felt his face getting hotter and could tell he must have been obviously blushing by now. He couldn't help but think to himself sardonically 'what was the worst that could happen?' He took a step back and put his hands up and spoke to cut off Alice before she could make any more statements of accusation as people were starting to look at them and a couple of the male players didn't look like they entirely appreciated what they could gather of the situation and the last thing Haseo wanted was trouble.

"No, no, nothing like that! I just wanted you to teach me how to play is all!"

"Teach you…how to play?"

Alice blinked in confusion as her cheeks flushed and she immediately regretted all the things she'd rambled off to the boy she just met.

"Yeah…I uh, I've never really been one to read instruction manuals and I kind of skipped the tutorial trying to make the most out of the grand launch day and all. Its kind of embarrassing to be honest!"

Alice's face lit up at the request, obviously finding renewed pride in being able to help Haseo after all and no small amount of relief at being wrong in her assumptions. A bad habit she decided she would have to watch more closely from now on.

"Well then, you've happened upon the right person! I'll have you know that I read the manual form beginning to end and one of my friends was even a beta tester and told me a bunch of stuff about starting out and how to play and a whole lot of tips to make fighting easier!"

"Well as I recall you're the one who happened upon me. And that's great, though I would hate to take you away from your friend just to teach me how to play. Are they here?"

"Not yet, no…she said she would be on later though, and I've already given her the name I would be using so when she contacts me we can meet up. It'll be fine, especially after causing you so much trouble, I insist! C'mon Haseo!"

Alice reached down and grabbed Haseo's hand in hers and began pulling him through the crowd toward a destination as of yet unknown to the young man. Taking a moment and gathering his thoughts Haseo finally recalled something Alice had said and let slip in her earlier rant and tried without much luck to hide a smile. Feeling more comfortable now than before he smirked and felt some of his more devilish habits coming back to him.

"So Alice!"

Haseo called out to the girl through the murmur of the crowd as she still pulled him along by his hand and cut her way closer to a side street leading towards one of the gates out of the City of Beginners.

"No asking where we're going, it's a surprise!"

Alice hollered over her shoulder without turning and Haseo could almost hear the girls smile through her soft airy voice. His smirk now growing bigger as he decided that it was just too rich of an opportunity to pass up if he had Alice pegged right, and he was an excellent judge of character.

"It's not that, I actually just had a question."

"Oh, what?"

"You really think I'm cute?"

Alice stopped dead in her tracks and Haseo almost ran into the girl because of the sudden stop. Her hand was still holding onto his and he could feel her palm getting hotter and if avatars had a pulse he was sure that would have quickened as well. Replacing his smirk with a purposefully inquisitive look he started to circle around the girl to see the look on her face and play off the innocent curiosity. She was beat red and glanced away from him as he tried to get a look at her and he could just barely make out the soft words that she said while turning from him.

"Wha, wha, what are you saying all of a sudden! It's not like that was the reason I talked to you or anything, I just saw you spawn and fall and wanted to make sure you wre ok and then I saw you talking but nobody was around and when I heard you mention the one hundred floors of the Tower of Aincrad I guess I just answered without thinking and then you fell again and I felt bad and I wanted to apologize and make it up to you and it's not my fault that you were so innocent looking and then the way you looked at me and you seemed so happy for some reason even though it was my fault and your hand was so warm and I didn't know the game could simulate stuff like that and…and…"

"You…thought I looked innocent?"

The voice of Haseo shook Alice from her embarrassed stupor but didn't completely break the effect of having been called out on something she was supposed to have just thought to herself. She paused and thought about his question before answering, out of all the things she said and it was that he looked innocent that he was so worried about?

"Well yeah. I mean, nobody who can be as captivated as you by how beautiful this world is can be completely bad right? I mean, I've watched people spawn and run right out to the fields to fight, but it's like you saw something more."

Haseo looked into Alice's eyes and a smile broke out over his face. Not like the smile from before, the one he forced awkwardly, the one he had tried to pass off as genuine but you could tell from his body language that he wasn't used to smiling, to trusting. How he always kept his eyes open, how he always watched and took in his surroundings, wary, even when he smiled. But his smile now, it felt like he trusted her completely for some reason and she didn't know why it made her so happy. Or why she even felt that way, it was just a smile, right? She could have swore she could feel her heart racing even though she knew her avatar simulated no such thing. His hand tightened around hers and she glanced down before looking back up to see the boy with his eyes open now and looking directly into hers.

"Thank you, Alice. That really…it was kind of a big deal for me and it meant a lot to hear you say that. I mean it. I sound crazy don't I?"

Alice exhaled, not realizing her breath had caught and Haseo suddenly released his grip on her hand, realizing at the same time just how awkward he felt. They had both lost themselves in the situation and now had trouble making eye contact with each other again, blushing and nervously thinking of what had happened. Haseo was the first to speak as he walked at a leisurely pace and then stopped a few feet away from Alice.

"Well, we had better get a move on! I'm a fast learner but I don't suppose your friend will wait too awful long to log on, it is the big launch day after all."

Haseo began walking once more only to have his hand taken again by Alice. He jerked to a stop and looked back and up at her nervously, not knowing what to expect and was relieved to see a carefree smirk as she turned and pulled him in the opposite direction he had been going.

"You might want to start by heading in the right direction then!"

Laughing to himself Haseo ran past Alice.

"I knew that, race you!"

"You so did not now…wait, Haseo! You don't even know where we're going! Haseo!"

Taking off in a run after him Alice started laughing to herself as well. Thinking to herself that it had been such a long time since she had felt so at peace, and that there was definitely more to Haseo than she had thought, something abut him; and she wanted to know what it was.

* * *

**OK so...just an experiment but I'm pretty sure this is the way to add authors notes lol, hope I'm right because the internet is kind of sucky right now and i don't want to redo this..selfish, i know =P**

**OK! First things first, this is the first chapter to my first ever fan fiction...i know it's kind of slow paced but i promise the next chapter will have some action and will hopefully pick up the pace and get a little more into one of the characters. I don't really have a plot line for this story yet, just a general idea really of where i want to go with it so if it seems sporadic at times I apologize in advance. Now for the breakdown, i pretty much just wanted to introduce the two OC's and get some general interaction between them and sort of set the mood for future character development. Not sure how well i did since i am horrible at checking my own writing for anything other than spelling mistakes lol. That said, any and all reviews are not only welcome but will be very much appreciated! Even hate spam anger messages...as long as they're constructive hate spam anger messages lol. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and i should have chapter 2 up here shortly, i've finished writing it and just need to proof a few things. ^_^  
**


	2. Survivor's Guilt

**_Chapter 2_**

**_~Survivor's Guilt~_**

**_My name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment, I am in control of this world._**

The boar dispersed into blue polygons in a flash and the sound of shattered glass filled the air as a curved sword carved its way through the side of the creature at amazing speed. The momentary trail of a red sword skill arc marking the path the vicious blade had taken.

**_I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus – the log out button._**

The boar's tusks barely missed the swordsman as he dodged to the side after cleaving into the mob. He danced away gaining distance as the boar dug into the ground in familiar preparation for its signature charge. The swordsman assumed a lower stance and the familiar pull signaled the sword art was ready to go and through focused eyes he waited for the boar to charge once more.

**_This is not a defect. This is how the game of Sword Art Online was designed to be._**

More blue polygons spread into the air as the boar met with a fatal attack and once more shattered glass rang through the world. Two more beasts were close enough to agro and the swordsman stepped backwards, trying to keep them both in sight. One ran forward at a trot while the other dug into the ground in telltale fashion of the all too familiar charging attack.

**_You cannot log yourselves out of Sword Art Online and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the Nerve Gear from your head._**

The charge was easy enough to dodge, but you had to wait until the last second. Spinning out of the way, the boar shot past the swordsman and the second incoming boar became recipient to the spinning slice that came from the curved sword. It was a clean cut and the swordsman kept moving to the side in his spinning motion, suddenly stopping and throwing his hips and arm strength into a downward motion that resulted in a diagonal cleave lunching itself through a spray of polygons as the boar took a critical hit.

**_If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the Nerve Gear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life._**

The swordsman rushed the boar that had charged past him, still turning and trying to face its target. The curved sword made its mark into the mobs broadside and it squealed in a simulation of pain, a mockery, an insult!

**_Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have tried removing the Nerve Gear. An unfortunate decision to say the least, and as a result the game now has 213 less players than when it began._**

The tusks hurt incredibly bad and the feeling of vertigo while flying through the air was enough to daze the swordsman after hitting the ground in a roll. The boar charged again and closed in on the wielder of the curved sword quickly, murder gleamed in the display of ones and zeros that were its eyes, and there was no hesitation.

**_It's important to remember the following; there is no longer any way to revive someone from within the game; if your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system forever…and the Nerve Gear will simultaneously destroy your brain._**

The trail of red marked a zigzag pattern into and through the boar. From tusk to tail the mob shot into the virtual sky as a sea of blue polygons and sound. The swordsman scanned the area, murder gleamed in the display of ones and zeros that were his eyes, and there was no hesitation.

**_There is only one way for a player to escape now; you must clear the game. You are currently on floor one, the lowest floor of the Tower of Aincrad. Defeat the boss of this floor and the door to the second floor will open. Proceeding in this manner, defeat the boss on floor one hundred…and you clear the game._**

The swordsman flourished his blade before sheathing it in the scabbard at his side. The loose cloth armor blew in the wind, the dark blue shades of the material a contrast to the green surroundings. The stoic figure removed the hood he wore and medium length, slightly spiked blonde hair fell free in a messy style reminiscent of school punks and biker thugs. A scar receding into the hairline on the left side of the head leading through the temple and stopping above the high cheek bone on the boys face bore a stark contrast to the otherwise tanned skin tone. His hard jaw line set as he took a deep breath and sat hard on the grassy field he had just cleared. At five foot ten inches he was tall for his age and quite muscular as well. He fell backwards and exhaled in a deep sigh, closing his deep blue eyes and imagining a contrast to his own appearance. Long black hair that fell halfway down the back of a thin, porcelain frame; sharp hazel eyes that pierced almost to your soul if you looked right into them, a soft smile, untarnished by violence that carried a sweet voice and unconditional care for humanity…and a pure heart.

Ok, so maybe his opinion was a little biased…at least he could admit it though, and that made it OK, right? He smiled to himself as he justified his thoughts to, well, himself and smiled at the circumstance he found himself in. feeling the need to be a little more honest to himself he did admit that she was pretty short, about five foot two he'd say…it was a touchy subject from as much as he had ventured and didn't trust his armor to protect him enough from the simulated pain of thrown cooking utensils. He laughed quietly to himself as he thought about the efficiency of such items in a battle and wondered if the damage would correspond to the level of the users cooking skill…scary thought.

Opening his eyes he noted how fast the clouds above seemed to be moving. It would be cold tonight if the wind kept this up after the sun went down. It still amazed him how realistic this…this death trap was. It couldn't be called a game anymore. No, it had stopped being a game when people started dying because of it. Of course there's no guarantee that you actually died in the real world if you died in the game, no proof was the popular cry…it was the same as the conundrum with proving God. It was impossible from this side to prove or disprove either way, and from the other side it was impossible to tell anyone else the answer that had been found the hard way. You were left to your own musings, left to draw your own conclusions and others to their own. Of course there were those at first who refused to believe it could be true. After all, nobody ever thought something as simple as a high tech piece of equipment surrounding two thirds of your head that intercepted brain signals and translated them into electrical signals which were then translated again into code to control your digital avatar in a virtual reality massive multiplayer online role playing game could do something like that…in hind sight that seems like an extremely silly thing to think.

First off the thing intercepts brain signals! If it can do that then what else do you think it has the power to do if the safety was removed or the power was amped somehow! And of course the thing could receive a simple detonation signal easy enough; it received and transmitted all of the data required for the latest and most advanced VR video game with almost no known lag and no known glitches or bugs! It was easier to get mad now than upset, it hurt less that way. There were people who believed it was one big joke, something to scare the newbie's and to set the mood of the game. It was denial, of course, who could have possibly thought that with total seriousness? Still people were insistent…desperate to prove there was a way out, who wanted to prove you could escape by dying. They jumped off of the tower. Seemingly believing they could log back in afterwards and have a great laugh with their friends still inside and lead the way home…but they never came back, not a single one!

No one ever came back…same as those countless who fell at the hands of mobs at the beginning of the game. When the beta testers could have stayed and taught us, they ran. They ran to grab all of the good hunting grounds and easy quests, the quests with the highest return for the lowest risk. Leaving us behind to fend for ourselves, to learn to fight, to learn what mobs were out of our league the hard way, to learn their attacks and combat strategies the hard way; through literal blood and sweat…and no small amount of tears as we lost player after player. Close friends, family, and even complete strangers who'd just seen one too many atrocities in this damned place committed suicide because of those losses! Morale destroyed as we lost hope more and more over the passing days. If they had stayed….they knew the area and the enemies, they knew the system and so much more! They could have lead they way, if they had stayed and taken charge. If they had been here, but they hadn't! And now this late into the death trap, after enough deaths to stake out our survival there are only a handful of ways to identify someone as a beta. After this long we learned how to survive on our own, how to follow at their heels and somehow be thankful for the scraps left behind since they were better than nothing!

And they think that a simple guide book is enough to make amends for those terrifying first days. It was published by Argo 'The Rat'…the one beta tester who had enough of a guilty conscience to do something for us in hindsight. It's saved lives, but a meager amount compared to those they could have saved if they weren't such selfish cowards. Those damn cowards…the lot of them, it was their fault so many died! It would be brash to blame every death on them, some were just foolish and others were in denial and others still had gone mad, they couldn't possibly have fought in their state of mind but still they tried! Damn them…so many could have been saved if they had been taught, trained, warned, anything! Anything would have helped, but they ran scared to gain power as fast as they could. Forgetting about the rest of their people, their society, their humanity, all because they were afraid of not being powerful enough to solo. The rogue figure lying atop the grassy knoll released a clenched fist slowly and dried grass fell from the trembling white knuckled hand, the faint sound of shattered glass could be heard as blue polygons disappeared into the air.

"Didn't know I could hold such a grudge…I'm a little impressed with myself."

Laughing out loud to try and calm his own mood the swordsman sat up and looked at the time on his display. The smile dame regardless of whether he wanted it to or not as he realized it was getting close to dinner time. It seemed a perfectly good waste of rage to be able to bring a smile to his face that quickly.

"Cheater…"

Checking the Col he had gathered from the day of grinding he smiled as he did the math in his head…yeah, it would be enough finally! He got up and started heading back towards the City of Beginners, drawing the curved sword and blazing a trail of red behind him as he left blue polygons and the sound of shattered glass in his wake.

"I'll be back soon…Alice."

* * *

**Alright then, sorry for the long wait on the update guys but i have Chapter 3 coming up immediately and Chapter 4 coming up soon after, just need to write it out.** **I know writing it out sounds like it will take awhile but you have to understand how i do things on board the ship. While I'm in my rack after work I write the chapters on my Iphone and then I transfer them to the computers during breaks at work and upload them using those computers. The reason for the long wait is that one of our antennas went down so we lost our shore comms and had no internet...shitty, i know. But looks like the IT guys got it fixed so good news...mass update! Please review if you haven't, any advice is more than welcome and very much appreciated ^_^**


	3. From Whence You Came

**_Chapter 3_**

**_~From Whence You Came~_**

Haseo approached the casual looking inn door, completely identical to so many others in the City of Beginners, but completely different all the same. This door led to his comrades, his brothers in arms, those who fought and lived beside him and who he could call, if not friends…then not enemies. It felt nice to know you had somewhere to go where you wouldn't be turned away, people to go to who wouldn't judge you, well, at least not too harshly Haseo thought with a grin. This door was the closest thing he had to a home now, and for that he found himself extremely grateful. With a sense of bliss and belonging Haseo bore his smile wide and his heart on his sleeve, he reached out towards the door, towards his home.

"Hey! You almost hit me with…quit it you crazy, ow! If this wasn't a safe zone you could have killed me! Hey, lets not get hasty now…put down the…no…no, no, no…GAHHH!"

Haseo paused dumbfounded as the door he had just called home and thought so highly of flung itself open and a red haired man with a five o'clock shadow and a bandana threw himself to the ground followed quickly by a kitchen knife and unintelligible screaming. After seeing the knife fly safely over his prone figure the red haired man looked up just long enough to kick the door shut behind him and take a deep breath while leaning against the wall opposite the door. Looking up the man noticed Haseo and a wide honest grin spread over his face as he waved as enthusiastically as he could for a man in his current position.

"Hey there, Haseo. Alice sure can throw a tantrum when she wants to can't she?"

The red haired man laughed whole heartedly as though the comment explained everything that had just taken place to the stricken Haseo…It didn't.

"Klein…exactly, what happened just now?"

Klein laughed a little louder and a little more nervously as he glanced to the side, clearly recalling the events that lead to the adventures of the flying cookware.

"You were flirting with her again, weren't you Klein?"

Klein stopped laughing and merely sat grinning like a child who knew he had done something he had been told not to, but who at the same time knew he wasn't in deep enough trouble to get down about having to be sorry. Given, he was a very hard man to stay mad at…there was just something so honest about him.

"Help a brother out?"

Klein held a hand out from his position on the ground. Haseo gripped it quickly enough and helped pull the man to his feet.

"Your tenacity truly amazes me sometimes you know that? Most men would have quit after the ordeal with the plates. Then there was that time with the pots and pans…now she's moved on to cutlery. I hate to imagine what comes after that."

Both men laughed at the joke they held between them; each of them knowing that it was just a way to keep the stress down, a friendly charade they all put on. One where Klein would tease Alice and then Alice would overreact, Haseo would scold them both and they would be sent to their rooms by 'Dad' and everybody would be smiling all throughout the whole ordeal.

"I figure she's going to run out of things to throw eventually…she's getting desperate man, don't tell her I saw but there was definitely a spoon mixed in with those knives."

Haseo smiled at the comment and couldn't help but feel glad he had happened upon his old friend.

"Alright, well let's head back inside and disarm this situation. I've got some good news for the two of you."

"Actually man…I've kind of got my own thing going on right now and I need to get going. Besides, if it's what I think it is I'm fairly sure I'll just be the third wheel."

Haseo blushed a little at the comment and glanced downward awkwardly. Klein just grinned at the reaction, content for now with being right in his assumption and putting the boy in the spotlight for a few seconds.

"Hey Haseo, don't suppose you would want to come with me this time would you? You still haven't met the other guys yet…we got a pretty good lead on where Ducker might be staying too, we were going to try and hit him up tonight…"

Haseo sobered immediately at the comment and the tone of Klein's voice as he trailed off at the end. He already knew the answer, and Haseo suspected he knew the reason why as well. He was a good man, and an even better friend for having not pushed for an answer after all this time. World knows he deserved one, but for some reason he couldn't trust himself, he couldn't divulge his reasons. He didn't want to hurt Klein, didn't want to tell him the truth…that he'd heard what they had said that day. He didn't want to lose one of the few people that could tolerate him, he didn't want to get pushed away again…it was better this way. Haseo threw on the usual smile and tried to look at Klein. It was too much though and Haseo barely managed to glance in his direction before he answered his usual reply.

"Sorry, not tonight. I'm bushed and besides, I never really was one of the group so it's not like they're going to miss me or anything, maybe another time."

They both knew though, that time would never come. And Klein put on his best smile as well, and he couldn't help but wonder if this whole charade was for Haseo, or for himself?

"It's cool man, yeah…another time then. Definitely…"

Klein turned and started walking down the stairs of the inn and into the lobby before pausing at the door leading outside. He looked back up to where he had come. Why won't he just tell me? It's not like I'm going to abandon him or something…then again, after the life he's had and then this ordeal with the beta testers, I don't like where this is going, not one bit…and poor choice of words Klein, my man. A series of beeps took Klein's attention off of Haseo long enough for him to read the message he had received.

"Yeah, yeah…I'm on my way already. Keep your pants on."

Haseo heard the inn door open finally and then close again. He let go of the breath he had been holding so that he could hear better and slumped against the same wall Klein had just been leaning against. Klein was the one person that he'd known in the real world who hadn't cared about how he looked. It's not his fault he had blonde hair, his father was a foreigner and he was born this way. Either people knew that and that made him a freak or they didn't and thought he bleached it, and that made him a punk, a troublemaker. They judged him before they even knew him and several times before he even got to introduce himself in class rumors were already going around campus about the new thug at school. He couldn't even be proud of it, of being different or unique. He hated his hair, he hated his father, and he hated the fact that he didn't even know his father to tell him he hated him and what he gave him! What he was forced to live with, what he was forced to go through because of him!

His father had left him and his mother before he was even born, moving back to America and disappearing from his wife and her families lives altogether. Not that she really even had a family afterwards; his mother had gone against her parents when she married his father. Her family disowned her…and wanted nothing to do with the child of a foreigner. Still, his mother always spoke highly of them. They were a very traditional family she had said, very strict, very proper…but they were very loving and supportive in their own way. Even now she refused to hate them, she refused even to hate the man who had left her without a family and her child without a father or a dime to raise him with! If she wouldn't hate them, then he would…he had to, for her sake.

Every time someone called him out on his blonde hair he saw red, he did his best to hold it in. to control himself and to make his mother proud. She always told him to stay out of trouble and he tried damn it…but they always started it. He just finished it was all, but nobody ever believed him. Why would they? Why should they believe a punk, a troublemaker like him? He started to believe them too, he thought he might as well start wearing the shoes if he's going to be taking the blame for tracking the mud regardless. That was when they had met, wasn't it? It was mostly a blur, there was a lot of running, a lot of screaming, his heart was racing so fast and his mind couldn't keep up. He remembered hanging onto a portable heater like his life depended on it and running until his lungs burned. They were poor but not needy, he didn't have to steal but he started anyway. It was stupid, it was desperate, it was the end of his rope and until the store owner started chasing him he couldn't see how things could have gotten any worse…but they could if he got caught. That was when he ran into Klein, literally.

The heater fell to the ground in the alleyway and Klein was knocked off of his feet, forced to a standstill Haseo made eye contact with the red haired man. He saw anger at first, and got angry himself but then only felt confused as the eyes softened upon looking at him. He could only imagine how ragged he looked, but it wasn't pity he saw in the strangers eyes, it was understanding. He told himself to pick up the heater and run but he was rooted in place despite the screams of the shop owner getting closer. The stranger got to his feet and walked towards Haseo, putting his hands on his shoulders and then walking past him towards the quickly approaching shop owner.

"It's alright."

Haseo must have said something then, or at least acknowledged the comment in some way because Klein looked back at him then and smiled and repeated himself.

"Whatever you did, whatever you had to do up until now…it's fine, don't worry about it man."

Haseo stood still, completely at a loss for what was going on as this stranger talked to the store owner while being berated verbally by the angry older man. He couldn't blame him either, he had every right to be angry, to yell and to be upset, to be furious and unforgiving…but he walked away calmly after awhile. Haseo saw the stranger putting away a wallet and the store owner counting an amount of money that must have been for the heater. The stranger bent over picked up the heater from the ground, checking it over to make sure it wasn't damaged before holding it out in front of him. His lips moved then, he must have been saying something but who could he have been talking to? The shop owner had left so why was this man still here? Why hasn't he left yet? Why…why didn't this man just go away already? Abandon me already, hurry up and lecture me then leave like everyone. Or take me to the police and tell them you saw everything…

"HEY!"

Startled at the outburst Haseo started backpedalling and ended up tripping over his own feet, falling to the ground and landing halfway in a puddle. Reality began moving around him again and only the sudden sound of the traffic and people in the street outside the alleyway let him know that he'd been blocking it out. He blinked his eyes hard and pushed back something wet. Could he have been…no way, not in public like this. Especially not in front of….realizing where he was and that his hand was in a puddle Haseo quickly picked himself up and took off the jacket he wore since the sleeve was wet, tying it around his waist.

"So are you going to take this or what? I've got to look pretty weird just standing here holding a heater out to you like this, ya know?"

Haseo noticed the man still holding the heater out towards him and hesitated only slightly before reaching out and tucking it under one of his arms. The stranger smiling and laughing like this was all perfectly normal…and it pissed him off.

"I didn't need your help…"

"Hey now, no need for hostilities. I'm Klein, 24 years old and sing…er…sorry, old habit."

The carefree laugh just made Haseo angrier for some reason and he quickly started along his way down the alley. Trying to leave today behind him…but today followed him.

"Hey, you know it's rude not to give your name to someone after they've introduced themselves."

"Haseo…"

Klein kept pace with Haseo on his way home for the next fifteen minutes, talking about his day and the random things that popped into his head. He seemed to be able to pull a subject out of nowhere consistently; one time even mentioning how he never understood a joke he had heard when he was younger because the name of a drink someone had on the street reminded him of the punch line. The whole way Haseo was in disbelief that someone could be so dense and stupid; didn't he see he clearly wasn't wanted? That he was talking to a thug, a troublemaker…he'd clearly just helped a thief and now he's sitting here trying to make casual conversation? talking about anything that came to mind, laughing like he's having the time of his life…how could he be so ignorant, so socially awkward…so…so…how could he do this, just leave already. Or did he want something in return? Hah, fat chance of that happening.

"You know…what happened back there."

_Oh great, and here it comes. The judging and the preaching, the lecture, the lesson I'm supposed to be thankful for. Here comes the hypocrisy, he followed me this far, he tried to act so high and mighty, pretending to be my friend and really…he's just like all the rest. He's more dedicated than most of the older folks though, at least he tried to break me down first…_

"I used to be like that too…"

_What?_

"Except I didn't run into anyone, I dropped the stuff I stole and kept running while hoping the owner would stop and collect his goods. He did, mind you…I got lucky. But because of that I kept doing it. Nobody took me aside and told me the one thing I wanted to hear the whole time I backed myself into my corner, while I isolated myself. Well, not until it was almost too late that is."

_What is this? A joke? Why is he so serious now…this isn't funny…_

"It's alright. Those words changed my life, and you sort of reminded me of the boy I used to see in the mirror. It was your eyes that told me we used to be the same."

_Does he think he knows me now? Just because he used to be a punk too…give me a break, that's a good one._

"I wasn't a thug, not really. I just wanted to be one, it was the only expectation people had and I didn't want to disappoint I guess. Pretty stupid huh?"

_No…that's…I don't know if it's stupid, idiot! What are you saying…I'm not like that at all._

"I guess, stay strong. You're meant to do more with your life than get busted for a portable heater and wind up in juvenile."

_Damn right I…I am._

"Well, this is my stop. I live around here so see ya man!"

"Wait!"

Klein stopped and looked back to see Haseo with his hand up as if grabbing onto him from ten feet away, the boys face fell awkwardly and his arm lowered with his gaze. It was a good sign Klein thought to himself, he wasn't talking to a brick wall after all, Haseo's reaching out…maybe, this really could make a difference in this kids life. Ha, wouldn't that be something for the records!

"I live up there, I've got some friends coming over tomorrow around noon to hang out. You should come too."

Haseo looked up to see Klein pointing to a balcony on the second story of some apartments. Disbelief flooded his mind as he tried to take in what had just happened. Why did he call out to him like that, and why was he scared of Klein leaving…why was he acting like this? He knew better, he knew not to get attached, he knew not to hope…but, he saw the smile on Klein's face as he invited a total stranger into his house an couldn't help but feel, something. It was hard to put a name to it but every part of his being told him to say yes while his mind reeled back, closing itself off from the pain that would come, the pain that always came.

"No thanks, I…"

"See ya tomorrow then, Haseo!"

Klein turned and ran off towards the steps that lead up to the apartments and disappeared around the corner. Haseo waited until Klein was gone from sight before he could convince his body to move again. His mother had asked him about the heater when he got home, and the more he thought about it, the more apt the description seemed. It fit, and he rather liked the sound of it too.

"It was a gift Mom, from a friend."

Haseo didn't sleep well that night; he stayed up late arguing with himself, nervous about the invitation he had received. He finally fell asleep after deciding that if nothing else, he would show up to thank Klein for the heater at least. Yeah…that was all, just to thank him and then he would leave.

"Isn't that kid like a thug or something? He's sixteen and have you seen how big he is?! Like seriously, does he eat small mammals for breakfast or something?"

"Yeah, and he bleaches his hair so it's not like he's really trying to change public opinion. I heard he was a pretty big delinquent at his school."

"Yeah Klein, you stashed all your valuables already right?"

"C'mon guys! He's not that bad, I mean, at least he didn't seem that bad when I talked to him."

"Yeah, what did he say?"

"I mean, he didn't say much but still!"

"He probably didn't even have a chance to say much knowing you Klein!"

"I'm surprised he didn't throttle you."

"Half the time I'm surprised I don't throttle him!"

"Hey, I'm not that bad am I?"

Haseo's hand shook as it hovered just a few inches away from the door to Klein's apartment. He shut his eyes and cursed himself for being so stupid. Of course it would turn out this way…why did he think that just because one person treated him normally everything would change? He's still the same person, the same blonde hair, the same big build, the same rumors; the only difference now is he had almost convinced himself that this time would be different. He dropped the envelope with a hand written thank you from his mother and the money for the heater then ran from the apartment door as fast as his feet could carry him and jumped down as many flights of stairs as he could. He ran, closing his eyes hard as wet streams ran down his face and fell to the ground behind him, he ran until his chest heaved and his throat was dry and his lungs burned. He fell to the grass on the river embankment he found himself on when he couldn't move his feet anymore and screamed as loud as he could; burying everything deep inside of himself again. If only…he could start over, if only there was some way he could just be born again as someone else. He clenched his fist and struck the ground in front of him again and again, screaming each time. His chest heaved and his limbs felt weak, he fell to the ground and lay there for hours. Afternoon turned to dusk, and the static noise in the ai died down as people found themselves at home for the day. Home…sounded very good right about now. His mother would be worried about him soon.

Picking himself up Haseo started on his way, the street lights had come on and you could see the first of the night's stars in the sky. He didn't know where he was exactly but he knew he ran straight as hard as he could for as long as his legs would carry him, he knew he could find his way back home if he just kept walking. Along the way ht noticed a large poster outside of an arcade, the poster was brightly colored and had a large, very well illustrated picture of a group of warriors battling monsters with bold characters that spelled out the name of the latest game to hit the market. None of that is what stopped him though, what stopped Haseo were the words promising a new reality. He tore the name of the game off of the poster and pocketed it, telling himself that if this was god's idea of a cruel joke then it was in very poor taste. That was the night he applied for one of the 10,000 copies of Sword Art Online; that was the night it all started for him.

Picking himself up from against the wall Haseo sighed deeply and looked up at the clock on his display. It had only been a few minutes since Klein left but he was sure Alice would be wondering where he was, she'd no doubt heard his voice through the door since they were in a party together. Normally the privacy rules for doors caused a soundproofing effect, though that effect didn't apply to system announcements and party members for conveniences sake. Taking a deep breath and slapping his cheeks he tried to psyche himself out for acting normally after reliving so much of his past. He reached out for the doorknob and his body reflexively drew back, his mind bringing to bear the similarities to his time with Klein's apartment. Taking a deep breath he pushed forward and turned the doorknob, throwing the door open and walking inside.

Haseo's palm almost immediately flew to his faced as he stood in the doorway and for a moment almost debated walking back out. Stuck in the wall was a carving knife…attached to the knife was Alice who currently had both hands gripping the handle and both feet planted firmly on the wall as she tried desperately to remove the knife from it's makeshift holder. Glancing up she noticed Haseo finally come in and dropped, somehow, gracefully to the ground. Fortunately Alice seemed to prefer wearing shorts to dresses or skirts while not in armor, otherwise there may have very well been more flying cutlery. As it were she merely bounded over to Haseo and jumped up to hang from his neck, throwing her arms around his broad shoulders. It was another charade they played, similar to Klein's flirting with Alice, except Haseo didn't overreact, Haseo turned beat red and froze statue still.

"Welcome home Haseo! Hey…can you help me with this knife? Oh, and don't ask why it's stuck in the wall…or that one, or that one either. Haseo, what's wrong?"

Dropping down from his neck Alice circled around Haseo seemingly to check on him but it was part of her tease, she knew exactly what was wrong. Straightening up and coughing into his hand Haseo tried to play off the ordeal nonchalantly but the fact that he had clearly never had any real interaction with a girl let alone physical contact with one was readily apparent and Alice was not above torturing the poor boy every chance she got. Haseo swiftly made his way to the table, plucking the knife from the wall in passing somewhat easily. The benefit of a strength build as apposed to Alice's agility based stat distribution.

"Thanks Haseo! I'll start on dinner soon."

Alice made her way to the makeshift kitchen and started preparing all of the materials necessary to make use of her cooking skill. Looking around the rest of the room Haseo couldn't help but notice the half dozen holes in the walls and the broken window. Placing his elbows on the table and burying his head in his hands he sighed to himself.

"Oh man, room repairs again…guess I'll have to wait to take her out to that nice restaurant across town. Alright, I'll just work twice as hard tomorrow, yeah!"

"You say something Haseo?"

"Uh…er, no! I mean, um…I just sneezed! Yeah, must have been my allergies."

"Haseo…Sword Art Online doesn't simulate allergies."

"Yes sir! Those dang allergies!"

* * *

**OK, so flashback episode. Yeah, most of these mass updates are going to be character oriented since i didn't have internet access to accuracy check the actually advancement of the storyline. I also wanted to bring some characters from the actually story in to interact with the OC's but as I said, no internet so everything written about them is either from memory or the top of my head. Here's hoping i didn't completely change Klein's past lol. If so, apologies but it is fan fiction and i feel it's believable so i'm going to go with it. Also, let me know what you think about Haseo's past. I liked the concept and wrote it out as best as i could but if it's too cheesy or if there's something that could be changed or added to improve it please let me know. As always, i hope you enjoyed and please review! ^_^**


	4. Things That Keep You Dreaming

**_Chapter 4_**

**_~Things That Keep You Dreaming~_**

"Haseo, it's all you!"

Alice sidestepped the charging dire boar and made ample use of her acrobatics skill, somersaulting away and making room for Haseo to switch. A figure clad in blue cloth armor with a large two-handed talwar rushed in diagonally at the mob, the curved blade glowing a violent red as a sword skill activated. The dire boar paused while processing the switch in its target, giving the crucial second necessary for the swordsman to rush in and slash twice in a blinding left then right slice. The freeze frame at the end of the swordsman's skill might as well not have existed as two daggers flew down in a spiraling flash to drill into the dire boar's skull. Haseo whipped around as the damage to a weak spot stunned the mob and with a loud yell and a two-handed cleave split the monster in half before it shattered into blue polygons and shattered glass.

"Yeah! Suck it punk!"

Haseo grinned at the enthusiasm of his female compatriot and flourished his talwar before sheathing it. Looking over he was impressed at how far Alice had come in such a short amount of time. Then again, with her actually being a gamer and him…well, this was really the first he'd done something like this seriously. He never got too into video games, never had the time before trying to keep up with studies and with working part time jobs to help his single parent make ends meet. Regardless it should have been the other way around but Alice for some reason saw his strength right off the bat and had faith in him, it was harder for him to return the thoughts. Haseo always had trust issues but is finding them swiftly relieved by the presence of the dagger wielding girl before him, he still can't commit himself to an attack that he knows will leave him defenseless afterwards but he is taking riskier offensive positions. It's a work in progress he thought to himself, maybe in due time.

"Hey Haseo, I think we've cleared the area already! Our teamwork is getting a lot better huh?"

The dark grey cloth armor Alice wore reminded Haseo of an old modified kunoichi outfit like in those corny ninja movies. With her long black hair out into a ponytail and the twin daggers she used she could pull it off if she wanted to as well. He'd found himself asking her to say lines form movies he had seen but so far hadn't had any luck…she was apparently all too aware of how she looked.

"Teamwork? Nah, you've just got these weak points down to a science, it's quick work mobbing up these mobs when each time you hit them it seems like they get stunned. I'm just the clean up crew, don't mind me any. Gah! Alice…Alice, you promised not in the field, Alice!"

In true ninja fashion Alice had closed on him and wrapped her arms around his neck in familiar fashion before he could even finish his sentence.

"But I heard the pouting in your voice and couldn't help but get all mushy inside and well, I just couldn't fight the urge to hug you and make it all better!"

Haseo's face flushed red as a tomato, he felt like he would never get used to how forward she was…it was such a stark contrast to the day he met her he almost wondered if she was the same girl sometimes.

"OK, all better. Thank you, can you…you know?"

Letting loose an exaggerated sigh Alice swung down from Haseo and landed beside him, still smiling and giggling at the effect she had on the boy.

"I swear Haseo, your so skittish. If you don't change your attitude soon you might scare away all of the pretty girls that are after you."

"Oh yeah, since I'm such a big suitor and all. Did I mention the two girls I have waiting back at the inn? They're to clean up the place, take out the trash, and get dinner started by the time we come home."

Laughing at his own joke and noticing a very agitated Alice, Haseo turned his scan ability on to check for repops and fell to the ground.

"It's hard to believe you're the same girl who almost caused a scene on the day I met her because she thought I was making advances on her. Or, oh no! What have you done with Alice? Imposter!"

Pointing his finger at the girl cinematically he was clearly trying to get her to play the part of another movie scene he'd thought of, from her expression he could tell she was amused but was not, in fact, going to play along.

"I'm shy, you know?"

Alice had taken a sober look as she glanced off into the distance and Haseo just grinned relieved and concerned a the same time for a moment of peace finally.

"You really think so? Have you been present for the hours of amusement I've provided you at my expense, or should I fault your evil twin?"

Alice giggled but her eyes never changed. There was something on her mind.

"Really, I am. I always have been."

Haseo absorbed her silhouette sitting next to him against the mid day sun and sat quietly, he wanted to say something but he knew somehow that she wasn't done yet. It was one of the things with her, he didn't know why but he felt he knew her more intimately than he'd ever known anyone. Of course, it was just a feeling but the more time they spent together the truer it seemed to be.

I had seven siblings; I was the fifth of eight. When your parents have to deal with that much drama, I guess you just learn to behave if you didn't want to get yelled at. The two oldest had moved out of the house and were living on their own already, one of them getting married soon. I guess I'm going to miss it now…the third, my older sister Miya, she was getting ready to move away to go to a better university than in our hometown. My older brother Hideki, he was the troublemaker. He was always causing grief for my parents and Touki was always right there with him, looking up to him like a role model. She admired him day in and day out; saw him as a rebel, a freedom fighter since our parents were rather strict. The other two were the angels, the up and coming prides of our house. They were smart, popular, well liked by the adults…I know it's not right to be jealous but even they overshadowed me somewhat. I never stood out much in school either; my other siblings were the beauties and the brains. I was always just, exactly what I was supposed to be, doing exactly what I was supposed to do; nothing more, nothing less."

Haseo looked over at the girl beside him and then back towards the distant field, his eyes loosing luster as he lost himself in thought before smiling.

"You know, it may be corny but my mother always used to have the best advice. She had her favorites, of course, stuff she used to say all the time. One of them, her favorites, I mean; if you can't get what you love, you learn to love the things you've got. If you can't be what you want, you learn to be the things your not. If you can't get what you need, you learn to need the things that keep you dreaming."

Haseo looked down as he said this, blushing slightly at having shared something of his past. But also at making his first serious attempt at cheering someone up, he would normally use wit or jokes or some form of sardonic humor. He smiled as he realized just how comfortable he was getting with Alice, and felt a bit of relief knowing that she was there for him as well. Alice grinned and Haseo noted the change in her eyes this time, whatever she was trying to say, whatever she had on her chest, she would let it go in due time. World knows why she wanted him to be the one she tells but, it could always be worse. He shuddered as he thought of going through this death trap alone.

"Oh swoon!"

Alice laughed and fell backwards with a hand held dramatically over her face, landing square in Haseo's lap.

"Alice."

"Can't blame a girl after you go and say something as sweet as that can you?"

"I, you…I mean with…gah! That was totally a set up. I am so blaming you."

Alice giggled but made no indication of moving, instead settling down and forming a makeshift pillow out of her arms and closing her eyes.

"Blame away."

Alice yawned and Haseo grew, if it were possible, even redder than before. After calming down a bit Haseo noticed that he had no way to tell if she were really asleep or not. SOA didn't simulate the chest rising or lowering for breathing and definitely didn't simulate breathing itself except for duration in the event of drowning. He wondered vaguely if it simulated REM sleep or if there was even a way to tell if someone was really asleep or just waiting. It was a somewhat unnerving thought.

"Alice, you awake?"

Haseo shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable with the situation as a million scenarios ran through his mind, the foremost was getting caught by Klein. Haseo would never live this moment down and knowing Klein he would feign heartbreak and ask to be taught the ways. Grinning to himself he couldn't help but think about how Klein always seemed to aim to make others out to look better than himself. It was probably the only reason he was still stuck saying that cheesy 24 and single line. It was funny and made him look just as honest as he really was but it wasn't something you said to introduce yourself to someone you were really interested in…was it? Alice shifted in her sleep, moving unconsciously closer to the nearest source of heat. Haseo gulped as she lay almost flush, curled up against his body. He could feel the warmth of her body and on the gaps in his armor he could feel the mixture of her smooth skin and the texture of her armor. Her skin touching his made his cheeks feel hot and his blood rush, he'd never been this intimate with any girl in his life and his first time, were they cuddling? Could this be considered cuddling? Great, his first time cuddling with a girl was in a video game…there's one for the grand kids. A beep on his heads up display from the scan ability he'd activated earlier grabbed Haseo's attention, however. To their right, a repop.

"Alice, looks like we got some action already; to our right about a quarter mile."

Haseo went to grab her shoulder to shake her but Alice wasw coming to her feet before he had even finished speaking. That fox…she wasn't asleep at all, and she had picked up the scan ability for her new skill slot that last level up! It was the only explanation, she was going to hear about this later.

"I'll flank, Haseo you grab agro!"

"Already on it, what do you take me for?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Haseo only had enough time to show on his face how confused he felt as she took off into the forest with a teasing grin, veering a hard right as they ran the quarter mile to where they would confront their next enemy. Clearing the underbrush Haseo measured on his display the distance left and leaped high over a bush, drawing his talwar mid-air as he landed with a cleaving crash through the hide of the mob which cried in pain. He pulled his curved blade form the ground and jumped backwards, looking up at the enemy they were facing. It was a dire wolf mob. Infamous as the most dangerous enemy on the first floor aside from the mini boss and boss themselves. It was a larger version of the basic wolf mob, standing on all fours at just under five feet tall and with enough health and power to prove it's worth as a level eight monster. That wasn't the thing that made it so deadly though…they fought in packs.

"Oh, shit!"

Four more beeps appeared on his display as Haseo was surrounded by more of the deadly enemy that stood before him. Typical, ambush foiled by a rare spawn. Five total, one at half health from the heavy opening hit. No matter how you cut it, they were in for a hell of a fight.

"Come on Alice, give me an opening…"

From behind Haseo and to his right he heard the sequel of a dire wolf and he sprinted in that direction, clearing the bush in time to see a grey blur shoot back into the trees using an overly abused acrobatics skill and a stunned wolf. He would have to be careful not to use any sword skills, he couldn't afford the lag the freeze frame at the end cost him. Looping his talwar over his head and pulling it hard along his left side in an arc he sliced clean through the entire broadside of the creature and kept moving past it, letting the momentum of his swing carry him clear of the second dire wolf that bounded towards him. Haseo rolled under razor claws that swiped at his back and turned in another wide swing, this time turning the blade to its blunt side and catching the lunging wolf in mid-air. Hefting the curved blade around in a circle he launched the furry improvised missile at its intended target and struck another wolf, damaging both in the impact and causing them to roll in a heap on the ground.

That would buy some seconds at least, affording a look on his display he noticed the positions of the mobs were fading from view as his scan wore off. Haseo made a mental note to definitely level it up and took off towards the first wolf he had hit. Hearing the sound of shattered glass Haseo turned to look at the heap of wolves he had left and grinned as he saw Alice dancing around the one confused monster that was left as she retracted both of her daggers out of a spray of blue polygons. Hearing a snarl form in front of him Haseo turned in time to meet a thick paw full of claws head fist, bounding head over hells Haseo was thrown sideways like a rag doll, landing hard against a tree. Glancing up Haseo noted his health floating just barely above red and gritted his teeth, stupid! Noticing the dire wolf that had just hit him and two other full health mobs pin him against the tree with their presence he prayed Alice would be alright soloing that last wolf mob. No doubt she saw his health fall in her party menu and he hoped she would stay focused. Haseo winced as he saw her health drop a little…now is not the time to be jinxing shit he yelled at himself!

Reaching into his bag with his odd hand Haseo counted out three throwing knives and brought them to bear. Sweeping his arm in an arc encasing the mobs, each of the three daggers lanced towards their targets. The far left mob fell away from the dagger and dodged it completely, the middle tried to do the same but took the hit in it's flank instead, causing it to stumble slightly. That was all he needed, not even bothering to check how the third dagger fared Haseo sprinted to the weak side of the middle dire wolf and brought his curved sword to bear in a looping swing, and in one practiced motion he cleaved through the enemy and flung himself forward and clear of the retaliatory strike that never came. Blue polygons shot into the air and the sound of shattered glass caused a grin as wicked and curved as his blade to come to Haseo's face.

From his right side Haseo heard the sound of more shattered glass and glanced over to see Alice mounted on the back of a dire wolf and both arms wrapped around it's neck with daggers plunged deep into it's shoulder and chest before exploding in a shower of blue particles. Turning to his left he took off at a run but held back enough for Alice to catch up to him. Looking at each other with a smile they nodded to each other and began intertwining their sprint towards the last remaining dire wolf. The dire wolf seemed to freeze, trying to acquire one target and then suddenly another. The benefit of fighting an enemy that hadn't been hit yet is that it had no agro, it could be 'trained', and Haseo found himself glad that the dagger had missed its mark.

Closing in on their prey Haseo prepped his curved sword and felt the pull of the sword skill he was readying, holding it off until the last second like they'd done dozens of times before. Haseo noticed Alice shooting forward and crossing one last time, leaving a trail of red behind her to mark both her sword skill and his signal, letting go of his sword skill Haseo crossed behind Alice at inhuman speed and with his talwar carved through the left side of the monster opposing him. Looking over and grinning he saw Alice with a similar look on her face, twin daggers punching their own way in and through the unfortunate beast. Freezing next to each other at the end of their sword skills the sound of shattered glass shot into existence and a cone of blue polygons washed over the two warriors, carried by the momentum of the onslaught.

"Yeah! Take that losers! Rare spawn my butt, that was nothing!"

Haseo couldn't help but feel both amused and ashamed to be associated with the celebrating girl beside him, wielding her daggers carelessly as she taunted the downed enemies…or rather, the lack thereof.

"Speak for yourself; I got slapped something fierce by one of them. I think I pissed it off a little at the start."

"Yeah, sounds like something you would do. Not a dog person?"

"Haha, very funny. It's starting to get late, you ready to head back before dark? I heard the monsters get more powerful once the sun sets."

Alice shimmied her hands under Haseo's arm and latched on, a scared expression on her face with the curl of a smile barely held in check.

"Oh my! Won't you protect me on the way back then my brave hero?"

"Alice…I can't even protect myself like this and you know that. Alice, Alice…oh, come on Alice!"

His face a bright red Haseo began to walk forward through the forest back to the City of Beginners, or more accurately he was being drug the whole way by a grinning and giggling kunoichi. Disappearing into the underbrush only his screams remained…

"Alice!"

* * *

**So, a little background on Alice this time. More to come as the relationships she has with people deepens and she begins to confide in people.** **Also, first real go at a fight scene so let me know how i did. Seemed like a lot of detail work so if it's too much it can be cut back to make the scenes more streamlined. So please review and hope you enjoyed! Next chapter is being worked on as i write this and another character from canon is going to make an appearance!**


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